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College news, February 28, 1934
Bryn Mawr College student newspaper. Merged with Haverford News, News (Bryn Mawr College); Published weekly (except holidays) during academic year.
Bryn Mawr College (creator)
1934-02-28
serial
Weekly
8 pages
digitized microfilm
North and Central America--United States--Pennsylvania--Montgomery--Bryn Mawr
Vol. 20, No. 15
College news (Bryn Mawr College : 1914)--
https://tripod.brynmawr.edu/permalink/01TRI_INST/26mktb/alma991001620579...
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation.
BMC-News-vol20-no15
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~ Curriculum Committee
sy Spc ih tepid ea re ctia
Page Four .
a
. THE COLLEGE NEWS
i
Regular course work is, in the last Faculty Formulates New Requirements-Fixed-~
_ plan has been somewhat lacking. At
or quizzes?
_ need to have their marks bolstered up
~ by: supplementary marks.
_ Q. Why do we not use the Har-
_vard plan of taking comprehensives
_ in May, with the opportunity of taking
Meets with Faculty
Faculty Answers Objections to
Plan for Comprehensive
Examinations
CRITICISMS ARE WEAK
Although the proposed comprehen-
sive system has been under considera-
tion. of the undergraduates for three
‘months, informed opinion about the
the joint meeting of the Faculty and
Undergraduate Curriculum Commit-
tees, opportunity was offered to the
undergraduates to present their objec-
tions and offer suggestions for im-
provement of the plan. The obvious
conclusion to be drawn from the joint
discussion is that the undergraduate
arguments against the plan are not
serious and that constructive sug-
gestions’for alteration are wanting.
Those’ who have been doubtful
about certain points of the plan or
who have formed unsound. ideas as to
its-general intent may be interested
to read the following questions asked |:
by their Curriculum Committee rep-
resentatives and answered by the fac-
ulty:
Q. Would not the plan result in
segregation of classes, with only
freshmen and sophomores in first
year courses? ;
A. There is no basis for the segre-
gation theory; it is hoped that upper-
‘¢lassmen may continue to take first
year courses under the comprehensive
system. ‘-The final examination. for
seniors in elective and allied courses
analysis, more important than _ex- ~--Comprehensives Plan For Scholarship: Students
aminations and cannot be sacrificed 5 | | ie
to them. Continued from Page One | ‘Speaking in Chapel last Wednesday
Q. Would it be possible to allow|tne final examination. The require-/0n requirements for scholarships,
access to notes and books for those | ment for the major subject will be 3 Dean Manning emphasized the point
taking comprehensives in the Science ‘to 4 units plus the final examination, | that no one who needed financial help
department? Neier . , {leaving a possible 3 units for allied to remain in college should be deter-
A. The idea has been discussed | work One Advanced course would Ted from asking for it because the col-
and the science department may Blve | still be a part of the major require- lege funds set aside for that purpose
two of the three examinations on this |, ent’.and the minimum requirement :are limited. The college believes,
basis. The attempts will always obi f)- second Year work would there-| however, that many people are in a
to give a sensible, reasonable, and in- fore be reduced to one unit. slightly better financial condition this
teresting examination, with the ob-| mp. midyear examination period |Ye4r than last year, and is, accord-
ject of summing up the work, not! i be. reserved as a reading period ingly, making an innovation in its re-
of baffling the student by surprise ¢,). seniors. _|quirements of applicants, For the first
questions. Perhaps an original prob-: Wi intiatliwe Will nol be aahodule q! time, financial references. are asked
. it ;for, and each applicant must be pre-
lem might be set, not only in the sci-|, ~ ‘Ad 4 Sores Dutta be-ar-
ence department, but in others, which! - eee J y 'pared to give information of an exact
kind concerning her family’s yearly
each student could work out as she | Tanged wid ? ence . ene _
thought best. ‘courses. Seniors will also be excuse
The comprehensives : ~~ ue aga ‘budget.
should be examinations which could /{7°™ ©x@minations in Wrrst and roca No appeal has been made‘ to the
Be Taced Without to Bisel anxiety jond Year and Elective courses agegand Fomor oa Tha ae ‘es a
on the part of faculty or student; and | their work ‘during’ the — has F r aie tai i * rs "hie
which would afterwards give a teak: Died Aiestntatary, When ABAEGtOrY | the Atiee io ae? os on in h
ing of security: concerning the work |™2Y require them to take the regular yd ; eee sin underta ed the
done ahd the khowledde’ gained tu the Course examinations. Provisions for ay os. ere € new science
testing the knowledge and. progress Building, and since the college does
ee aig d th tamales ‘of seniors in these courses is made as "Ot wish to make a large general ap-
ps aed for tiaitante, ‘ast we exami_| follows: STS , pre owe wou ot ci in
nation. which would integrate the dif- | Tf the course is = we Major or Bl Financial aap ak salina sahad
ferent courses given? ,lied subjects, yee A . ny pe for because Bryn Mawr is nie onl
A. The undergraduates underesti- | mcluded bil ay er SSR RNION Feollege that i not done so in the
mate the ingenuity of the faculty; yet the Major subject. past, and it has. been found difficult
|the mathematics department seems to| A long paper in each semester may ‘¢, aay student to estimate how her
be conscious of need for further inte- be substituted for the course examina- | necds compare with thosé of other
gration of courses and contemplates , tion. In scheduling these veer in-| students and difficult for the college
assigning reading to that end. structors should take into account that ‘to compare ‘the varying needs ‘from
Q. Will the faculty, blinded by en-'the student’s time during the mid-4,, answers of students. and their
thusiasm, pile on an_ exorbitant Year examination period is left FICE Savailios.
amount of work? ‘for general reading in the fields in’.
A. Any undue enthusiasm in the; Which she‘is preparing for the final |
faculty will be restrained by the com-/¢*@mination in the major subject, and
prehensive system, itself, which wil] that-the end of the second semester is
not allow them time to overwork their. also devoted to this examination,
students. There will be no separate: Two extra quizzes may be set for
This new policy, however, does not
mean that the college wishes to with-
hold help from people who need it.
In a college as small as Bryn Mawr,
will be avoided by setting an extra
quiz or a long paper and basing the; thought better to have the more ex- courses, one during the last week of
mark on such substitutions. The stu- | perienced teachers on the faculty pre- leetures in the first semester, and one
dent will, on the other hand, not be pare their major group for the com- in the second week of the spring ex-
able, as now,.to drop her major course | prehensive;
in the. senior year; and the general| the professors of reading reports and like ‘the scheduled quizzes, be one-
| quizzes, thus giving the latter time hour papers; they shall test the stu-
tendency will be to push required
work into the first two years, leaving
the last two free for major and allied
courses. It has been suggested that
an exception be made to the general
plan for requireds in the case.of phil-
osophy, which might be left until jun-
ior year. That exception would leave
only three required courses for the
first two years and thus the schedule
of these two years would mot be cram-
med with requireds as’ some people
seem to think. There has never been
any intention of making rigid rules
concerning the required or first year
courses.
body of tutors because it has been S¢niors in the First and Second Year
making contributions, academic or
instructors will relieve 2mination period. These quizzes shall,
to devote to major students, dent’s knowledge of the ground cov-
é i : -d b he scheduled iz and
a re WUt the pian. go’ inte Sree OShween the schepuicd quiz a ments that students are developing or
Summer: School-Students Are |
(Especially Contributed by Esther
Smith, Chairman of the Summer
School Committee)
Most of the undergraduates know
there is such a thing as the Summer
School. It is however so different
from any educational movement we
have experienced that it can be said
safely that very few of us have a con-
crete idea of what really goes on at
Summer School.
We-know .that thirteen years ago
President-Emeritus Thomas, while
riding on a camel in the Sahara des-
ert, had a vision of the campus open
in the summer with industrial work-
ers enjoying its beauty. We also
know that there is a Bryn Mawr grad-
uate, named Hilda W. Smith, at the
head of Summer School—but here in
the majority of cases our concrete
ideas stop.
have indeed been to Summer School
meetings and heard Miss Smith and
former Summer School students talk,
but they are, unfortunately, in tlie
minority.
Every summer one undergraduate
is chosen to go to Summer School to
help by doing odd jobs; and it is a
most fascinating and thrilling experi-
ence to watch what goes on on the
campus. All day long on the open-
ing date the students arrive from
every point of the compass. They en-
ter looking scared and shy—many
different nationalities—no two _ politi-
cal views identical—extent of previ-
ous education varying greatly — as
heterogenous a mass as could be im-
agined, yet with similar-desires. The
the worst possible: disaster is to lose|0Ne big desire that binds them all to-
good students or students who are £¢ether is the thirst for knowledge.
Dealing with such a mixed crowd in
otherwise, ‘to the college. Scholarships | #¢ademic classes would be impossible,
are usually given to the brilliant stu-|COMSequently a very different
dents, but they are also distributed|™ore effective form of education is _
with regard to financial need and not |US€4, that of discussion.
necessarily on the basis of numerical|#?¢ all based on the workers’ own
marks. Both scholarships and grants |PTOblems, and they contribute from
are given on the evidence of depart- | their personal: experiences. Each of
and
The classes
from
the six undergraduates (five
Some undergraduates -
effect?
A. If the comprehensive system is
approved by the faculty — and the
first full faculty meeting to discuss it
will be held.in the first week of March
the end of the semester.
The reading or other preparation
recommended for the final examina-
tion will be outlined in printed lists,
or syllabi, which ought to be avail-|
‘improving along certain lines or are|°ther colleges) belong to respective
contributing in any way to the col-|UNits, as the classes are called, each
(of which deals with a different prob-
lege. :
[lem (such as Trade Unions, govern-
If any student is in doubt about ment). It is certainly first hand in-
—it will go into effect for the present @ble for students after the beginning applying for aid, she is asked to con-
sophomore class. Yet even if it is
passed in its- present form, provision
will be made for change in detail as
such change becgmes necessary. The
system will not be rigid and the de-
partments will be allowed to vary it
to a certain extent for their own par-
[XS
Q. Will not the shift from fiftven to
fifteen and a half units required be a
hardship for the person who has fail- |
ed or had to drop courses because of |
sickness?
A. The opposite state of affairs
prevails under the fifteen point sys-
tem. Students pile up so large a
number of units by senior year that
‘they have to take very. few units
then.
Q. Will not the requirement of
five points in the major field lead to
over-specialization?
A. The minimum number of units
to be required of each student in her
major course is still undecided. Three
and one-half, four and one-half with
‘the unit for comprehensive reading,
unlike the advanced courses or hon-
ors, will broaden the major field; and
the unit assigned for reading will be
used to solidify and integrate knowl-
edge of the major subject.
Q. ~ What effect will the compre-
hensiye system have on honors work?
ticular needs.
In concluding the discussion, Miss
Park said, “Individualism will be en-
couraged by the new plan, but also a
firmer basis will be supplied. The
student will, it is hoped, gain a power
of combining and organizing which
has heretofore been conspicuously
lacking.”
An astonishing reflection of the
jingoistic teaching in American ele-
mentary schools is found in the re-
port of a test given 370 American
school children in a survey being
-made by two professors at Teachers’
College,, Columbia University, Fifty-
eight per cent. thought that most for-
eigners are less intelligent than Amer-
icans. More than a third saw danger
of the United States being attacked
by some other country within a year.
About half believed that the United
States should not lead in attempts to
reduce armies and navies; half held.
that all American soldiers and sailors
A.. Honors work will be kept fairly
are well behaved. One-third held that
separate ‘from comprehensive read- | the greatest honor would be to wear
ing; but it may be included in the
comprehensive examinations, perhaps
by means of special questions or pa-
pers set for honors students.
Q. Is it not rather hard to have to |
stand or fall on the results of one set
of examinations without the benefit
of supplementary marks on reports
A. Few people in the major work
sumed that a student should know
enough about her major subject to
be able to pass an examination in
it. =
egular course examinations later if
the comprehensive marks are unsatis-
The Bryn Mawr ener: into!
It is“ as=}~
|the uniform of the army or navy.
Forty-six per cent. believed every boy
should have army training, and seven-
ty-one per cent, thought that every
park should have a cannon or a mili-
| tary statue to glorify past wars and
heroes. The same; children—aged 10
to 15—had no knowledge concerning
the “agencies for world peace. A
third thought the Kellogg peace pact
manufactured breakfast food.
——(N;-8.-F A;
“The quicker students get into poli-
ties the better,” declared Mayor Fio-
rello H. LaGuardia, of New York,
in a recent interview with a Prince-
tonian reporter. ‘Professional poli-
ticians are keeping a large part of
students out of politics when they are
just the ones we need. They should
take a more active. part, furnish a
supply of energy, and progres-
of the junior year and which will be sult the Dean, -and if it .is possible
given to all students in the spring that she may be able to pay for her-
of the junior -year-at-conferences held Self, she is_asked_not-to-apply fora
by the departments. Conferences for scholarship but to tell the Degen that
seniors will be scheduled by all depart- she may need money. There is a
ments, to be held during the first two Summer emergency fund planned to
weeks of the college year. take care of students who find they
Individual, or group conferences need to apply after the regular schol-
with seniors will also be scheduled by arships and grants have been awarded.
departments at regular intervals dur-
ing the year, but stress should be laid Cut System Is Explained
‘on the fact that students are them- | = For Students’ Benefit
selves responsible for the reading. .
IV—Regulations Governing the Work (Especially Contributed
of Honors Students
Students who are candidates for
the degree with distinction will in gen- ;
eral ‘be required to take six COUTSCS ' ings last semester, the Cut Commit-
in the junior and senior years and tO | tee feela that again it must explain
devote at least a quarter of their time ' the-rules of the Cit-syaten, Ik isu
in the senior year to special honors-
work on selected topics. ' . |
Such Students will not receive the
degree with distinction unless they re-
ceive the grade of 80 or above in the
final examination in the major sub-
ject:
A certain number of questions rela-
by Joan
Hopkinson, Chairman of the
Cut Committee)
Because of repeated misunderstand-
detailed forth every year in the News
and explained to the Freshmen, Jun-
‘iors and even Seniors continue to over-
cut with abandon. For the most part,
those who overcut last semester did so
| because they were under a delusion
/as to the number allowed them. Very
tive to the special fields studied in hon-| ; ‘
vt Pepa bem ‘bean 4 ve com-/1°™ the Committee feels, deliberately
prehensive papers for honors students, | Vereut. Therefore ‘onee again the
but long written: reports may be ac. | more important of the rules are here-
cecnteds toy. dasesealite ‘ha opementing | Oe set down. Will all those whose
adequately the results of the honors} mores ae Bee pene. teen Tee
work. Where such a report is consid- | /°lowing by heart?
ered an adequate summation of the. 1. A student is allowed «as many
work in one field of study it may even | Cuts per semester as she has classes
| be accepted in place of one of the three per week. This means all the classes
hour papers in the final examination. Tégistered on the schedule and in the
Dean’s Office.
People who “never go to the mov-| 2. First and second year Science
ies” are helping break attendance rec-' courses give one five cuts, not seven.
ords everywhere for “Little Women,”, 3, Hygiene gives two cuts and~Dic-
the sweetest, most beautiful story/tion one.
ever filmed. The east, which includes 4
Katharine Hepburn, Bryn Mawr Col-
lege graduate, gives an excellent per-
formance of Louisa May Alcott’s’ im-
mortal story. of the lives of four New
England girls and their mother in
Civil War times. It is at the Egyp-
tian Theatre in Cynwyd four days,
ending this Saturday.
Extra classes in any subject,
imposed by the Professor, do not give
an extra cut. For example, a certain
week, but in. the Deans’ Office and
on the schedule it is listed as meeting
only three times a week. Therefore
it gives one only three cuts.
5. Psychology gives one only three
cuts, ‘in spite of its laboratory*hours.
We hope all the misunderstandings
will cease, if the above points are ob-
served. The Dean’s Office or the
Chairman of the Cut Committee will
be glad to answer any further ques-
Planned as a training medium for
a new kind of politician whose creed
.will be intelligent public leadership,
a new course in classical humanities
has been instituted at the University
a
marvel that, although the system is.
|
'
1
‘formation in the true sense.
Besides these classes there are two
| workshops—the social science and the
1
1
|
i
|
|
|
|
science workshop. In the former the
students make charts which help vis-
ualize .whatever problem they are
working on. In the science workshop
;simple exhibits and chemical experi-
ments are set up, showing at a glance
|why water, for instance, is H:O!
|. Athletics is another favorite activ-
j
i ity.
Archaeology class meets four times a|'
the floor. They teach tennis and
swimming and help with baseball.
At the beginning of the summer
the air is full of currents of hostil-
ity. ~ Soon, however, the students learn
to listen to the point of view of others
and a real spirit of tolerance is devel-
oped. The girls that leave are brav-
er and, we hope, happier.
It seems all around the best of ex-
periments. Here are these workers in
industry so eager for more education
that they take a chance on losing their
jobs—their means of livelihood—just
to come to Bryn Mawr. It must be
worth it and it is, because present at
Summer School is a cross section of
industry, girls chosen who will go back
to their friends and tell them what
they have learned, who will spread
what knowledge they have acquired.
It is made an even more valuable ex-
perience because of Miss Smith, who
was dean under President Thomas,
and of whom President Park has said,
“Bryn Mawr. has justified itself, if
only in producing ‘Jane’ Smith!”
THE CHATTERBOX
TEAROOM
LUNCHEONS — DINNERS |
- AFTERNOON TEAS 25¢ |
Katharine Hepburn
This Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday and Saturday
_ Bala-Cynwyd
Here the undergraduates have —
&
cette
4